Change can be frightening, but it shouldn’t be what holds your company back from growth. Many businesses that haven’t yet switched to a cloud phone system have maintained their old communication systems out of a fear of change. This puts you at risk of too many costly repairs and hanging onto technology that will eventually become obsolete.
If you’re working with an outdated system, you’re probably so used to its quirks and idiosyncrasies that you don’t realize how much it’s affecting your staff and customers. Dropped calls and inconsistent productivity due to frequent, time-consuming updates and mediocre collaboration tools are just part of the landscape.
Many business owners place such a high priority on maintaining the status quo because they don’t realize just how significantly a cloud phone system could benefit their company. Fortunately, moving to the cloud doesn’t have to be difficult when you have an expert on your side.
How Will I Know When It’s Time for Cloud Migration?
Saying goodbye to your legacy phone system and migrating to the cloud has the potential to jump-start your business, offering increased productivity, lower and more consistent monthly costs, and most importantly, better communication both internally and externally. But how will you know when the time has come to make the leap for good?
Here are a few key indicators.
1. YOUR TECHNOLOGY EXPENSES ARE TOO HIGH
One of the major issues many businesses have with their legacy communication systems is their frequent updates. Costs for this work are never consistent, leading to high and irregular expenses that are frustrating to predict. It isn’t just the cost of the updates – it’s the hours your tech team has to spend working on this at the expense of all their other priorities.
If you want to save money and benefit from more predictable fees, a reliable cloud phone system is the way to go. Many hosting companies offer flat-rate billing, so you won’t have to pay a large initial expense. A partner like CRI can help you build the right unified communications system that consolidates costs, offering the opportunity to save money through a more predictable, cost-effective monthly bill.
2. Your phone system is quickly becoming obsolete
Once your technology is heading toward the end of its life, there’s nothing you can do to stop it. Any updates or patches will simply cost money and can only temporarily prolong the inevitable.
Running these older systems is extremely costly even outside of just maintenance. Each PC that is older than 4 years old costs the average company 42 hours of lost productivity every year and costs 1.3 times more to fix than a newer computer.
Working with an obsolete system isn’t just cost-ineffective, it puts your company at greater risk for cyberattacks and could lead to compliance issues if there are holes in your security. Upgrading to the cloud brings a much greater level of security and productivity and spares your team from having to continually maintain and patch rapidly outdated tools and technology.
3. You have limited IT resources
Most companies don’t have the luxury of hiring an unlimited number of IT personnel. If you notice that your IT team is continually underwater, chances are one of the major contributing factors is your company’s outdated, high-maintenance phone system.
There are only so many hours in a day, and the more time your team spends fixing and maintaining your legacy phone system, the less time they’ll have to focus on critical tasks that push forward core business objectives.
4. You have less flexibility than unified communications systems
In the last year, we’ve seen just how important flexibility is to most American companies. If your current communication system doesn’t offer your team the flexibility to work from home or collaborate remotely, it’s holding you back.
Instead of making your team conform to its limitations, the best unified communications system should support your company’s productivity, no matter their location.
5. Your business can’t scale
Managing growth is a major challenge, and the right cloud phone system should support the development of your company without strain. Whether you need to add dozens of new lines at once or want to host your own collaboration applications so they’re available 24/7, your unified communication system in the cloud should do that for you.
The Benefits of a Cloud Phone System
Designing and implementing the perfect cloud phone system feels overwhelming for companies because they don’t know what to expect. At CRI, we specialize in building unified communications systems that are easy to maintain, accessible, and supportive of a variety of integrations your company needs to succeed. With a custom-designed cloud phone system from CRI, you’ll experience many benefits:
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Preventative maintenance
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On-call support
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Replacement inventory
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Communication with your phone company
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Consultation and education
We also ensure that any system we create is completely scalable so that it can grow with your company, offering more opportunities for flexibility as well as better communication and collaboration.
CRI Can Help Move Your Unified Communications System Forward
Instead of struggling with an outdated phone system, take this opportunity to set up a cloud migration and new unified communications system with CRI. Our consultative approach starts with a cost needs analysis, and then we’ll design the best system for your needs that can continue to grow with your company for years to come.
Regardless of whether you choose premise-based or cloud-hosted solutions, we will design your solution, set it up, and then train and educate your employees so the transition is simple and straightforward.
You don’t have the time or money to be bogged down by an outdated phone system anymore. The time is now to migrate to the cloud. Contact us today to get the process started.